UNCTAD and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority have launched the third cycle of the TrainForTrade Port Training Programme in Ghana. Twenty-nine middle managers, nine of them women, from the port communities of Tema and Takoradi successfully completed the first of eight training modules. The training was held in Tema, Ghana on 27-31 January 2014.
In 2009, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) joined the pilot phase of the English-speaking network of UNCTAD's TrainForTrade Port Training Programme. Since the success of that initial pilot, over the last four years 33 middle managers gained certification in modern port management, and GPHA committed to the most recent cycle which took place at the end of January.
Ghana sees the programme as an effective way to train port managers and contributes directly to financing the programme. Indeed, Mr. Jacob Adorkor, Director of Tema Port, said that GPHA plans to enroll all its middle managers being considered for promotion, as their performance in the programme is a good indication of their potential as senior managers.
GPHA's financial contribution, and the involvement of senior managers as instructors, also indicates that the programme is a sustainable solution for Ghana. During its first four years, TrainForTrade trained 22 senior managers from GPHA to serve as national instructors, as part of TrainForTrade's strategy to build local ownership. GPHA senior managers now deliver over 50 per cent of the training modules.
Twenty-nine middle managers, nine of them women, from the port communities of Tema and Takoradi were enrolled in the January 2014 programme. The first of eight modules of training was conducted by an UNCTAD representative and senior managers from the port communities of Tema and Takoradi, including the director of Tema Port. The participant's test results - scoring an average of 82 per cent - and their evaluations of the module showed that the training objectives had been achieved.
The other seven modules of the course will be delivered over the next 16 months, after which each participant will develop a project proposal to improve a specific problem identified in their port. These proposals will be presented to a panel of port experts the in the autumn of 2015 and, if judged satisfactory, the participants will then be awarded UNCTAD's Modern Port Management certificate.
 Managers from the port communities of Tema and Takoradi who successfully completed the first of eight training modules of the TrainForTrade Port Training Programme in Ghana. |
The English-speaking network of the Port Training Programme includes ports in Ghana, Indonesia, the Maldives, Namibia, Nigeria, the Philippines and Tanzania. Each port authority contributes financially to the programme, while Irish Aid provides additional financial support. The Dublin Port Company, the Port of Cork, the Belfast Harbours Commissioners and the Drogheda Port Company also provide support in kind.
TrainForTrade is a programme of the Knowledge Development Branch, in the Division on Technology and Logistics of UNCTAD.
